Rearview mirror support incorporating vehicle information display

ABSTRACT

A rearview mirror support and information display assembly for vehicles includes a rigid mirror stay preferably having a mirror support for an independently adjustable rearview mirror and a breakaway mount which releasably couples the stay and any supported rearview mirror to a windshield mounted button or a header mounted base such that the entire assembly is released on impact. An information display is positioned on the assembly adjacent the position of a rearview mirror when supported thereon to convey information to the vehicle driver/occupants. Preferably, the display is mounted in a housing which conceals a light source or other emitter for the display, the housing being removably secured to the mirror stay to allow servicing and access to a concealed wire passageway.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to rearview mirror supports, and, moreparticularly, to a support for an independently adjustable rearviewmirror for use in vehicles incorporating display for information such aspassenger air bag enable/disable status.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional passenger and cargo vehicles typically provide informationconcerning operation of the vehicle as well as time, outside temperatureand other ancillary electronic displays in the instrument panel directlyin front of the vehicle operator. Clocks, radios, CD players and thelike are often located in the panel next to the driver for moreconvenient viewing and use by the other passengers. Viewing of one ormore of the displays or gauges in the panel requires shifting of thedriver's or passenger's eyes down to the panel from the view through thefront windshield. The shift or redirection of the line of the sight fromthe road to the vehicle interior also requires refocusing of theviewer's eyes on the particular gauge or display. Such distraction canresult in accident or injury, especially if the vehicle operator ispresented with an emergency situation during such viewing. Also, adriver may not notice illumination of a critical warning displayrelating to occupant safety or vehicle operation (such as of disablementof a passenger air bag) when the display is located in the instrumentpanel due to the information clutter caused by the great number of otherdisplays commonly found in the instrument panel.

Perhaps in recognition of these information display viewing problems,automobile and truck manufacturers have placed information in displaysin consoles attached to the headliner of the vehicle above the frontwindshield. However, reference to the information in such consoles alsorequires a redirection of the viewer's line of sight from the roadtoward the vehicle roof. Such redirection is even more pronounced incab-forward automobile designs in which the head position of the vehicleoperator is moved forward with respect to the windshield/headlinerboundary such that the displays in the headliner mounted consoles areeven more difficult to view.

Other types of information displays have been provided directly in, orattached to, the interior rearview mirror assembly of the vehicle. Theseinclude displays located within the mirror case but behind the mirrorelement which, of necessity, are limited in size so as not to interferewith the viewing area of the mirror itself. In others, an informationdisplay was mounted in the rim or edge of the rearview mirror case (suchas in a bezel, lip or eyebrow portion) so as to avoid interference withthe field of view of the mirror. However, the former type ofthrough-the-reflective element display must be made integral with thereflective element in the mirror housing, and the latter type requirethat the mirror case is specifically designed for receipt of thedisplay. The combined mirror and display in such constructions is alsoheavier than conventional mirrors resulting in increased vibration oroscillation and reduced quality images in the mirror surface. Inaddition, vehicle information display modules have been provided inhousings removably attached to the rearview mirror support structure(such as in windshield button mounted units) such that with theirdisplays are viewable by occupants of the vehicle.

In recognition of the above, the present invention was revised toprovide for a vehicle rearview mirror support which would besubstantially hidden from view by the vehicle occupants behind therearview mirror housing but include an attachment to the vehicle and aconnection allowing adjustment of the mirror position (such as a pivot)to accommodate various sizes of drivers, while having a display forinformation which avoids obstruction of the primary viewing zone of thevehicle operator through the front windshield but is visible adjacent,and preferably at the edge of, the rearview mirror housing. The supportwould require minimal vision shifting for conveying the displayedinformation to the vehicle operator while operating the vehicle, wouldalert vehicle occupants to critical and other vehicle pertinentinformation without confusion with other information displays, wouldprovide improved vibration performance and clearer images in therearview mirror itself, would house various vehicle accessories, andwould meet governmental safety requirements for breakaway separation ofobjects in the vehicle cabin.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a rearview mirror support assemblyincorporating a mirror stay providing support, preferably a pivotsupport, for an independently adjustable rearview mirror, a mount forattachment to a windshield mounted button or header mounted base whichreleasably couples the assembly to the vehicle for breakaway releaseupon impact such as during an accident, and an information displayassembly for vehicles wherein information is displayed by an informationdisplay element to the vehicle operator and other occupants at alocation adjacent to the viewing position of the rearview mirror, andpreferably, at a position above the rearview mirror.

In certain vehicles including cab-forward designs, the present supportand display can be positioned lower and within the driver's line ofsight without obstructing the field of view. The information display isalso distinct from other vehicle displays, such as on a header console.

Preferably, the information display is provided in a housing, morepreferably a removable housing, which substantially conceals theelectronics for the display element and the wiring for connecting therearview mirror support and information display assembly to the vehicleelectrical system while also providing electrical power to anyelectrically operated, added feature rearview mirrors which may besupported on the assembly.

In one form, the invention provides a rearview mirror support andinformation display assembly for vehicles including a mirror stay havinga mount for mounting the stay within the interior of a vehicle and amirror support for engaging and supporting a rearview mirror in viewingposition for viewing by at least the driver of the vehicle. The assemblyalso includes an information display for displaying information visibleto an occupant within the vehicle in which the assembly is mounted. Themirror stay and mirror support have portions concealed from view by thevehicle occupant by the rearview mirror when supported on the mirrorsupport. The assembly projects from behind the rearview mirror such thatsaid information display is positioned adjacent the rearview mirror whensupported thereon such that said information display is viewable by thevehicle occupant.

Preferably, the information display element is an emitting display. Inone embodiment, the information display element comprises a panel withdifferentially light transmitting and/or spectrally absorbing regions,the panel being backlit by a light source so that information isdisplayed by light transmission and/or spectral absorption at saidregion. The information is displayed as illuminated indicia such asilluminated tell tales, illuminated text, illuminated icons and the likeby such panel and is preferably contrasted to the ambient light aroundthe assembly. The light source is preferably concealed by a housingextending over a portion of the mirror stay, which housing may bereleasably attached to allow for servicing. An electrical circuitconnected to the light source may also be provided along with electricalwiring for connection to an electrically operated rearview mirror whensupported on the mirror support and/or for connection to the electricalsystem of the vehicle in which the assembly is mounted. Preferably, thehousing includes portions which conceal major segments of the electricalwiring from view by the vehicle occupants. In addition, it is preferredthat a significant portion of the housing is concealed from view by thevehicle operator by the rearview mirror such that the housing extendsoutwardly from the mirror stay from a position behind and to the rear ofthe rearview mirror. Other preferred emitting information displaysinclude vacuum fluorescent displays, electroluminescent displays, lightemitting diode displays, cathode ray tube displays and the like.

In one form of the invention, the display element may include indiciathereon which are not visible until backlit by the light source. Apreferred light source is a light emitting diode.

Non-emitting, passive display elements such as liquid crystal displays,including backlit liquid crystal displays, may also be used as well asother types of non-emitting displays. A variety of information displaytypes may be formed such as multi-pixel displays, scrolling displays,reconfigurable displays and tell tales, all including varying types ofwording, symbols, text or icons.

In another form of the invention, the electrical circuit includes aphoto sensor which receives ambient light adjacent the assembly andcontrols the brightness of the light output from the light source inrelation to the ambient light level adjacent to the information displayor controls the intensity of an emitting display, such as of a vacuumfluorescent or LED digit, in proportion to the intensity of ambientlight detected. Alternately, the light emitting intensity of the lightemitting display can be slaved to the instrument panel lighting orcontrolled by a photo sensor in another part of the vehicle such as inan electro-optic rearview mirror, more preferably an automaticelectrochromic mirror, twilight headlight sentinel or the like.Self-announcing, audible signals or strobes can also be used with theinformation display of the present invention.

Preferably, the present invention incorporates a support for adjustablysupporting the rearview mirror adjacent to and, more preferably, belowthe information display and in viewing position for the vehicleoperator. Alternately, the rearview mirror may be above the informationdisplay. In one form, such support is a ball pivot member extendingoutwardly from the mirror stay to allow adjustment of the mirrorposition independent from the information display. Other adjustablesupports can also be used.

It is also preferred that the entire assembly including mirror stay,mirror support and information display, be releasably coupled to amounting member on the vehicle such as a windshield mounted button or aheader mounted base. The releasable coupling is adapted to release theentire assembly from the button or base when impacted such as during anaccident to prevent injury. Various types of releasable couplings can beused such as spring clips and retainers, or resilient retaining flanges.

Advantages provided by this invention include adjustable support of arearview mirror while providing information adjacent to the rearviewmirror within the vehicle and visible by the vehicle operator and othervehicle occupants without obstructing the vehicle operator's normalfield of view and without requiring major shift in the vehicleoperator's line of sight to maintain adequate safety, the displaypreferably remaining fixed while the rearview mirror is adjusted aboutits pivot attachment to the support so that the driver can select thefield of view for the reflective element housed within the rearviewmirror independent of the viewing angle of the display attached to themirror support and information support assembly. The combined mirrorstay, support and information display is compact, light in weight andeasily adaptable for attachment to the vehicle within the vehicledriver's line of sight, either by a windshield mounted button or aheader mounted base. The information display is provided in anunobtrusive but easily readable format immediately adjacent the rearviewmirror and can be provided with various types of emitting displays,audible signals or the like or passive displays. The electricalcircuitry for the display is, preferably, substantially concealed as isthe electrical wiring for connection of the assembly to the vehicleelectrical system while also optionally providing concealed wiring foroperation of electrically operated rearview mirrors includingelectro-optic mirrors, lighted mirrors and the like. In addition, thepresent information display can be coordinated easily with the remaininginstruments and displays within the vehicle for automatic or manualoperation or with intensity coordinated to the ambient lighting aroundthe display and rearview mirror or in relation to the lighting on theinstrument panel. In addition, inclusion of the electronics within thehousing attached to the mirror stay allows for easy removal forservicing and positions the weight of the circuitry separately from therearview mirror, thereby reducing vibration and oscillation andincreasing visual clarity of the images in the mirror.

These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of theinvention will become more apparent from a study of the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the rearview mirror support andinformation display assembly for vehicles of the present inventionshowing an interior rearview mirror assembly in viewing position on thefront windshield of a vehicle with the information display below therearview mirror;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the rearview mirror support andinformation display assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the assembly FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the assembly of FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 5 is a right-side elevation of the assembly of FIGS. 2-4;

FIG. 6 is a left-side elevation of the assembly of FIGS. 2-4;

FIG. 7 is an exploded, perspective view taken from the top of theassembly of FIGS. 2-6;

FIG. 8 is an exploded, perspective view taken from the bottom of theassembly of FIGS. 2-6;

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of the assembly of FIGS. 2-8 whensupporting a rearview mirror on a windshield mounted button and takenalone plane IX--IX of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9A is a plan view of a preferred windshield mounted button formounting the present invention on a vehicle;

FIG. 9B is a bottom end view of the windshield mounted button of FIG.9A;

FIG. 10 is an exploded, side view shown partially in section of a secondembodiment of the rearview mirror support and information displayassembly for vehicles of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation of the mirror stay of the assembly of FIG.10;

FIG. 12 is a front elevation of the mirror stay of the assembly of FIG.10;

FIG. 13 is a front elevation of the information display housing of theassembly of

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the information display housing of theassembly of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 15 is a side elevation shown partially in section of a thirdembodiment of the rearview mirror support and information displayassembly for vehicles which also incorporates a rearview mirror assemblyhaving various electrical and/or electronic components as well as aninformation display therein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. 1 illustrates afirst embodiment 10 of the unitary rearview mirror support andinformation display assembly for vehicles of the present invention.Assembly 10 is adapted to be releasably secured or coupled to the frontwindshield W of a vehicle below the headliner/header section of theinterior roof in position for viewing of a rearview mirror 12 supportedon assembly 10. Rearview mirror 12 comprises a reflective mirror element12a housed in a mirror housing 12b. As shown in FIGS. 2-9, assembly 10includes a rigid mirror stay 14 preferably formed from die cast zinc andan extending, mirror support ball pivot member 16 formed in one piecewith the mirror stay on neck 18 at the lower end of the mirror stay.Rearview mirror 12 pivots about ball member 16. A housing 20, preferablyhaving its contour matched to a portion of the mirror stay 14, ispreferably removably fitted to the mirror stay, and includes aninformation display area 22 having a display element 24 for conveyinginformation to the vehicle operator and other occupants of the vehicleinterior. As is explained more fully below, housing 20 also includeselectrical circuitry for operation of the display 22, which circuitryincludes electrical wiring 26 and connector 28 for connecting theinformation display to the electrical system of the vehicle in which theassembly is mounted. In addition, the electrical circuitry includeselectrical wiring 30 including a connector 32 providing electricalservice from the vehicle to the rearview mirror assembly 12 which may beelectrically operated as explained below. The entire assembly 10 isadapted for mounting to the inside surface of front windshield W bymeans of a windshield mounted button B (FIGS. 9, 9A and 9B) previouslyadhered to that surface.

The present invention is useful with a wide variety of interior rearviewmirrors including manually-operated, prismatic day/night mirrors such asthat shown in FIG. 9 and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,242, as wellas electrically-operated, compass mirrors such as that described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,253,109, or electrically-operated interior rearview mirrorsincorporating map/reading lights such as those described in U.S. Pat.Nos. 4,646,210; 4,733,336; 4,807,096; 5,178,448; 5,669,698; 5,671,996;and copending, commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/918,772, filed Aug. 25, 1997, to DeLine et al., the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference herein; electrically-operated,automatically dimming mirrors such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos.4,793,690; 4,799,768; 4,886,960; and 5,193,029; andelectrically-operated memory interior rearview mirrors. The disclosuresof each of the above listed U.S. patents and patent applications ishereby incorporated by reference herein. The invention is particularlyadvantageous when used in conjunction with electrically-operatedinterior rearview mirrors integrally incorporating features includingmap lights, automatic dimming circuitry, etc., as such featuresnecessarily limit the space available within the mirror case cavity. Forexample, the present invention is useful in conjunction withelectrochromic rearview mirror assemblies such as automatic dimmingrearview mirrors using an electrochromic mirror element of theelectrochemichromic type as the variable, light transmitting element.Suitable electrochromic elements are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,151,816; 5,142,407; 5,140,455; and in U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/824,501, filed Mar. 27, 1997, to Varaprasad et al., now U.S. Pat. No.5,910,854, the disclosures of all of which are hereby incorporated byreference herein. Each of these electrically-operated mirror assembliesis conveniently connected to the electrical system of the vehicle inwhich the present invention is mounted via the electrical wiring 26, 30and connectors 28, 32 mentioned above and more fully described below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the operator of the vehicle is positioned to viewoutwardly through windshield W and in position to view images reflectedfrom the rear of the vehicle in the mirror element of mirror assembly12. Below the windshield and the position of assembly 10 and mirror 12as shown in FIG. 1 is an instrument panel containing a variety ofconventional instruments and displays such as a speedometer, tachometer,voltage indicator, fuel gauge and oil pressure gauge, as well as otherinstruments such as a clock, radio, audio tape/CD player; heater and airconditioning controls, and the like which may also be used by otheroccupants of the vehicle. Positioning of the information display 22above the viewing position of mirror assembly 12 maintains anunobstructed view for the vehicle operator below the mirror assembly andabove the instrument panel.

As shown in FIGS. 2-9, mirror stay 14 of assembly 10 includes a curved,contoured body 40 having a thin but wide upper area 42 tapering to anarrower lower area 44. Upper area 42 extends at an angle to the lowerarea 44, preferably an angle of between about 60° and 120°, morepreferably between about 70° and 100°, and most preferably between about85° and 95°, as shown for assembly 10. When mounted as shown in FIG. 9,upper area 42 extends generally parallel to windshield W while lowerarea 44 extends downwardly away from the inside windshield surface to aposition suitable for supporting rearview mirror assembly 12 via ballpivot member 16. In such position, the center of mass of the rearviewmirror is substantially directly under windshield button B for vibrationstability. Upper portion 42 includes a top surface 46 having a mountingarea 48 for receiving a spring clip 50 and forming a mounting assembly150 for retaining the entire assembly on windshield mounted button B asis explained more fully below. Upper surface 46 curves and merges into arear surface 52 opposite the surface from which ball member 16 extends.The end of upper area 42 is defined by a peripheral edge 54 of generallyU-shaped configuration having curved end edges 56, 58 thereon. End edges56, 58 curve and merge into inwardly converging side edges 60, 62 whichextend downwardly and terminate at raised mirror support area 64 atlower end 44 and from which ball member 16 extends. Within edges 54, 56,58, 60, 62 is a hollow, recessed interior space 66 adapted to receive aportion of the electrical wiring 26, 30 forming a wire harness 140(FIGS. 7-9) as will be more fully explained hereinafter. Adjacent endedges 56, 58 are spaced locating flanges 68, 70 adapted to fit within,locate and position a display portion 82 of removably housing 20 asexplained below. Flanges 68, 70 have curved outer surfaces adapted tocorrespond to the curved inner surfaces of end walls 88, 90 of housing20. In addition, flange 70 has a recessed end surface 72 which engagesand traps an ambient light lens 116 fitted within housing 20 as isexplained below. A circular aperture 74 formed within the middle of body40 on the inner surface of upper portion 42 (FIG. 8) receives afastening screw 76 for attaching housing 20 to the mirror stay.

As is also seen in FIGS. 2-9, housing 20 includes a configured body 80having a wide, laterally elongated display portion 82 matching the shapeof end edges 54, 56, 58 of mirror stay 14, and a curved, downwardlydepending skirt 84. Display portion 82 and skirt 84 are preferablyintegrally molded in one piece from polycarbonate/acetal butyl styreneblend (PC/ABS), or polypropylene, polystyrene or anothermelt-processible polymer. Display portion 82 includes top wall 86,curved end walls 88, 90 and bottom wall 92 from which front wall 94 ofskirt 84 extends continuously. Walls 86, 88, 90, 92 define an elongatedinterior space 96 (FIGS. 7 and 8) divided into smaller spaces orsegments by spaced interior walls 98, 100 which extend perpendicularlybetween top wall 86 and bottom wall 92. Extending outwardly anddownwardly along the inwardly converging edges of front wall 94 areperipheral side walls 102, 104 defining a tapered, hollow interior space106 on the inside surface of skirt 84. Front wall 94 includes a recess108 centered therein and through which a screw receiving aperture 110extends. At the lower end of recess 108 on the interior surface of frontwall 94 is an upstanding, elongated wall 112 providing a strain reliefflange for engaging the electrical wiring of wire harness 140 whenhousing 20 is assembled to mirror stay 14. At the rear edge of left endwall 88 of display portion 82 of housing 20 is a semi-circular,elongated recess 114 adapted to receive a transparent, generallycircular lens 116 therein to direct ambient light from the area adjacentassembly 10 to a photo sensor 148 mounted on the electrical circuit 142forming part of wire harness 140 as explained below. Lens 116 includes aseries of segments or flanges 118 at its inner end enabling the lens tobe snap fit into recess 114 and retained therein. A semi-circular recess120 is formed in the rear edge of top wall 86 through which electricalwire/cable 26 of wire harness 140 extends for connection to theelectrical system of the vehicle in which assembly 10 is mounted.Similarly, a semi-circular recess 122 is formed in the lower edge offront wall 94 of skirt 84 through which wire/cable 30 from harness 140extends forwardly to position connector 32 adjacent the rear surface ofrearview mirror assembly 12 for connection thereto.

At the front of display portion 82 of housing 20 is a display element130. Display element 130 is preferably generally planar and formed froma polycarbonate sheet, and is preferably insert molded within housing 20when the housing is injection molded. Alternately, element 130 can beseparately formed and include tabs 132 on either end adapted to fitwithin recesses or apertures formed on the inside surfaces of ends 88,90 of housing 20 for assembly after molding of housing 20. In eithercase, element 130 abuts against the coplanar edges of interior walls 98,100 which are recessed inwardly from the peripheral edge of displayportion 82 (FIGS. 8 and 9).

Prior to mounting display element 130 within housing 20 in the mannerdescribed above, various indicia comprising alpha-numeric displays orword, symbol or icon displays may be printed or formed on the front orrear surface of the element as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. Such words,numerals, text, symbols, tell tales, icons or other indicia may bedifferentially light transmitting and/or spectrally absorbing regions onelement 130. Preferably, the front exposed surface of display element130 is unprinted, plain or "dead fronted," and may be opaque or black incolor and have a desired texture thereon. Rear surface of element 130preferably includes various words, symbols, icons or other indiciaadapted to be visible at non-opaque regions of element 130, through thefront surface when backlit such as by light sources 144 provided oncircuit 142 included in wire harness 140 as described below.Accordingly, when backlit, such indicia are visible to both the vehicleoperator and any passengers or other occupants within the vehicle at theposition above the rearview mirror as shown in FIG. 1.

The display on element 130 may comprise a multi-pixel display, scrollingdisplay, reconfigurable display, or tell tale forming varieties of anemitting display formed with one or more light sources of the typedescribed below. Alternately, indicia could be imprinted on acontrasting background on the exterior, front surface of display element130 for visibility without backlighting or other illumination and, thus,may comprise a passive display. Alternately, display element 130 couldbe transparent.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the preferred indicia display for assembly 10relates to the operation and enablement of supplemental occupantrestraint systems, known as air bags, especially on the passenger side.Recent governmental regulation changes allow disablement of passengerside air bags by the vehicle owner in certain situations. This displayindicates to the vehicle occupants whether the passenger side air bag isenabled (on) or disabled/suppressed (off). Such information display(s)serves as an indicator, and provides notification to the driver andfront outboard passenger whether the Passenger Side Inflatable Restraint(frontal air bag and, in some cases, frontal and side air bags),referred to as PSIR, is/are active or suppressed. The informationdisplay serves as a status indicator intended to notify the driver andfront outboard passenger of the state of the PSIR (enabled orsuppressed). The indicator receives the PSIR status from an automaticoccupant sensor and displays the PSIR status through the use of lightemitting diodes, tell tales, or the like. The status indicator can bepart of the vehicle Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR) subsystem.Information display 22 can also present other displays and functionsrelated to vehicle operation, such as engine coolant temperature, oilpressure, fuel status, battery condition or voltage, cellular phoneoperation, E-Mail message receipt, compass display, time or the like.

Fitted within and between housing 20 and mirror stay 14 when assembledtogether is a wiring harness 140 including electrical wires/cables 26,30 and connectors 28, 32 mentioned above, as well as a circuit board 142containing electronic/electrical circuitry for operating the informationdisplay 22 and/or other functions in the supported rearview mirrorassembly or vehicle. Circuit board 142 is adapted to be mounted on therear edges of interior walls 98, 100 by means of projecting tabs 99, 101received in openings 146 formed in circuit board 142. Tabs 99, 101 maythen be heat staked or formed over to retain the circuit board in placewithout vibration. Circuit board 142 preferably includes a series ofemitting elements or light sources 144 mounted at spaced positions onits front surface. Preferably, emitting sources 144 are light emittingdiodes (LEDs) adapted to provide backlighting of display element 130when the circuit board 142 is positioned on the rear edges of interiorwalls 98, 100. A preferred light emitting diode is a NICHIA white lightemitting diode available from Nichia Chemical Industries of Tokyo,Japan, under Model Nos. NSPW 300AS, NSPW 500S, NSPW 310AS, NSPW 315AS,NSPW 510S, NSPW 515S, and NSPW WF50S, and provides low level,non-incandescent, white light for illuminating the indicia on displayelement 130. Such white light emitting diodes preferably emit light withcolor when measured on such as the ICI Chromaticity Diagram with an xcolor coordinate in the range from about 0.2 to about 0.4, and a y colorcoordinate in the range from about 0.25 to about 0.425, more preferably,an x color coordinate in the range from about 0.25 to about 0.35, and ay color coordinate in the range from about 0.25 to about 0.4, mostpreferably, an x color coordinate of about 0.3±0.06 and a y colorcoordinate of about 0.32±0.08. Other LEDs providing light in colorsother than white, such as amber or red, may also be used. Preferably,light emitting diode sources 144a and 144b are connected to operate atall times during the operation of the vehicle so as to continuouslyilluminate the words "passenger air bag." The remaining two LEDs 144c,144d are aligned with the words "off" and "on," respectively, andprovide backlighting for those words individually. LED 144c or 144d isselectively operated to illuminate the status of the air bag, either off(disabled) or on (enabled). Interior walls 98, 100 are spaced off centerwithin the hollow interior 96 of display portion 82 of housing 20 so asto direct light from LEDs 144c and 144d to those words respectively atone end of the display element.

Alternately, other emitting elements can be used to display information(including alpha-numerical information) such as incandescent displays,vacuum fluorescent displays, electroluminescent displays, light emittingdiode displays, or cathode ray tube displays. The various displaysuseful in this invention can also be reconfigurable so that certaincritical alpha-numeric or symbolic information, icons or other indiciawill override or supplant normal, primary information for a selectedperiod of time such as for a traffic warning, vehicle blind spotpresence detection, engine operation change or deficiency, compassheading change, incoming cellular phone call or the like.

Another display useful in place of the printed or formed indicia onelement 130, or adjacent to element 130, in the event that element istransparent, is a passive or non-emitting liquid crystal display whichcan also be backlit by emitting light sources such as LEDs 144 describedabove.

Also included on circuit board 142 in addition to the normal electricalcircuitry components such as resistors and capacitors is a photo sensor148 which extends parallel to circuit board 142 and transverse to theaxes of LEDs 144. When circuit board 142 is mounted within displayportion 82 of housing 20 on interior walls 98, 100 as described above,photo sensor 148 will be axially aligned with cylindrical lens 116 sothat ambient light adjacent the assembly 10 is directed and focused onphoto sensor 148. Photo sensor 148, which is preferably a VT 900 Seriescadmium sulfide photo cell available from EG & G Vactec of St. Louis,Mo., in conjunction with the remaining circuitry on circuit board 142,is adapted to control the intensity of the light emitted from lightsources 144 in relation to the ambient light around the assembly 10.Alternately, an L-32P3 photo transistor, available from King Bright Ltd.of City of Industry, Calif., could also be used as photo sensor 148.Thus, a high ambient light level is sensed by photo sensor 148 and thecircuitry increases the electrical current applied to LEDs 144 such thatthe backlit display will be brighter and consequently more easilyvisible at such high light level periods. At night or other low ambientlight level periods, the amount of current applied to LEDs 144 isreduced so as to coordinate the illumination of display 22 to thesurrounding conditions while maintaining visibility of the informationdisplayed. Alternately, photo sensor 148 need not be included and theintensity or brightness of the information display 22 can be operated intandem with the lighting intensity for the instruments on the instrumentpanel in the vehicle or slaved off the switching and dimming circuitryor rheostat for such instruments. Likewise, should the use of a photosensor be desired, a photo sensor on another part of the vehicle such asin an electro-optic rearview mirror supported by assembly 10 can beconnected to the emitting sources 144 through appropriate circuitry tocontrol their intensity in relation to the ambient light level. Such aremotely located photo sensor could also be located in another area ofthe vehicle for a system such as in a twilight headlight sentinel whichautomatically switches the vehicle headlamps on/off at dusk/dawn.

In addition, the circuitry included on circuit board 142 may also sharecomponents and provide circuitry for the electrical components in theelectrically operated mirror supported by assembly 10 so as to eliminatethe need for mounting such circuitry within the rearview mirror assemblyitself. This helps reduce the vibration response of such lightenedmirror and provides clearer images visible thereon.

The passenger side air bag on/off signal may be derived from varioustypes of seat occupancy detectors such as by video surveillance of thepassenger seat as disclosed in co-pending, commonly-assigned U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. PCT/US94/01954, filed Feb. 25, 1994, published asInternational PCT Application No. WO 94/19212, on Sep. 1, 1994, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, or byultrasonic or sonar detection, infrared sensing, pyrodetection, weightdetection, or the like. Alternately, enablement/displayment of thepassenger side air bag operation can be controlled manually such asthrough a user operated switch operated with the ignition key of thevehicle in which assembly 10 is mounted as described in co-pending,commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/799,734, filedFeb. 12, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,772 the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference herein. Optionally, as shown in FIGS.2, 3, 5 and 8, a switch 149 adapted for operation solely by the ignitionkey which fits the ignition switch of the vehicle in which assembly 10is mounted may be mounted in housing 20 such as in end wall 90 or atanother location on the assembly. Switch 149 is connected throughcircuit board 142 or wire harness 140 to the passenger side air bag andalso provides manual control over operation of that air bag by the owneror user of the vehicle. Alternately, switch 149 can be user operated byother than the vehicle ignition key.

In addition to the status of the operation of the passenger side airbag, other vehicle functions or information can be displayed oninformation display 22 as mentioned above including engine coolanttemperature, oil pressure, compass direction, tire pressure, fuelstatus, voltage, time, outside temperature or the like. Such informationcan be displayed simultaneously with the passenger side air baginformation such as through an appropriate switch, or displayed ininterrupted fashion and/or overridden so as to warn the vehicle operatorwhen the engine is first started. In addition, self-announcing displayscan be incorporated in information display 22 in order to be noticedwhen the ignition switch for the vehicle is turned to the "accessory on"position. Such self-announcing displays can include strobe orintermittently operated light sources and/or emitting display elements,or audible signals adapted to sound for a time period of between abouttwo seconds to one minute or longer after which the display reverts toits normal illuminated condition.

In addition, housing 20 may be formed with a blank panel in place ofdisplay element 130 in order to conceal and position the electricalwiring/cable from a wire harness designed to provide electricalconnection from the vehicle electrical system to an electricallyoperated rearview mirror mounted on the mirror support ball member 16.In such case, housing only performs a wire cover/concealment function.

As is best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5-7, assembly 10 is releasably mountedfor breakaway separation from the windshield mounted retainer or buttonB by means of a resilient, breakaway mounting system 150 at mountingarea 48. Mounting assembly 150 preferably is of the type disclosed inco-pending, commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/781,408, filed Jan. 10, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,097, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Mountingassembly 150 includes a peripheral wall 152 outlining a rectangularretainer receiving area 154, a central button support 156 and spacedlateral button supports 158a, 158b. A resilient spring clip 50 formedfrom spring metal is received in retainer receiving area 154 and securedtherein by means of retaining flanges 160 fitted under a shoulder on theinterior of wall 152. A central aperture 162 is interference fitted overbutton support 156, while upstanding, resilient flanges 164 andresilient end flange 166 extend outwardly for engagement with windshieldmounted button B as shown in FIG. 9.

As shown in FIGS. 9, 9A and 9B, windshield mounted button B is of thetype including a peripheral edge 170 having inwardly converging orangled side edges 172, 174 which taper inwardly from the outermostmounting surface 176 which engages the button supports 156, 158 to thesmaller attachment surface 178 engaging the inside windshield surface,and a curved edge 180 which extends from one side edge to the other sideedge and along the curved top end 182. Curved edge 180 is angledinwardly for its full extent as are the side edges. Side edges 172, 174converge toward one another as they extend toward top end 182 andprovide the button B with an overall double tapered shape. In addition,button B includes a recess 184 in its lower end surface 186 which isspaced from attachment surface 178 for receipt of the resilient endflange 166. When spring clip 50 is mounted on mounting area 48 toprovide the mounting assembly 150 in the above manner, resilient flanges164 and resilient end flange 166 engage edge 180 and recess 184 ofwindshield button B at spaced positions and center the buttontherebetween and hold the button against button supports 156, 158.However, when assembly 10 is subjected to an impact force, flanges 164and end flange 166 flex to release the assembly from the button toprevent injury.

Accordingly, assembly of housing 20 to mirror stay 14 will now beunderstood. Mirror stay 14 may be provided with a manual orelectrically-operated rearview mirror assembly 12 as described above andwith spring clip 50 received in mounting area 48 as shown in FIG. 9.Similarly, housing 20 may be fitted with wire harness 140 such thatcircuit board 142 is aligned within the rear of the opening to displayportion 82 with tabs 99, 100 fitted within openings 146 and formed overto retain the circuit board in place. In this position, photo sensor 148is aligned with lens 116 previously positioned in aperture 114 ofhousing 20. LEDs 144a, 144b are aligned between interior wall 100 andend wall 90, LED 144c is aligned between interior walls 98, 100, and LED144d is aligned between end wall 88 and interior wall 98. Electricalwiring 26 is

As shown in FIGS. 9, 9A and 9B, windshield mounted button B is of thetype including a peripheral edge 170 having inwardly converging orangled side edges 172, 174 which taper inwardly from the outermostmounting surface 176 which engages the button supports 156, 158 to thesmaller attachment surface 178 engaging the inside windshield surface,and a curved edge 180 which extends from one side edge to the other sideedge and along the curved top end 182. Curved edge 180 is angledinwardly for its full extent as are the side edges. Side edges 172, 174converge toward one another as they extend toward top end 182 andprovide the button B with an overall double tapered shape. In addition,button B includes a recess 184 in its lower end surface 186 which isspaced from attachment surface 178 for receipt of the resilient endflange 166. When spring clip 50 is mounted on mounting area 48 toprovide the mounting assembly 150 in the above manner, resilient flanges164 and resilient end flange 166 engage edge 180 and recess 184 ofwindshield button B at spaced positions and center the buttontherebetween and hold the button against button supports 156, 158.However, when assembly 10 is subjected to an impact force, flanges 164and end flange 166 flex to release the assembly from the button toprevent injury.

Accordingly, assembly of housing 20 to mirror stay 14 will now beunderstood. Mirror stay 14 may be provided with a manual orelectrically-operated rearview mirror assembly 12 as described above andwith spring clip 50 received in mounting area 48 as shown in FIG. 9.Similarly, housing 20 may be fitted with wire harness 140 such thatcircuit board 142 is aligned within the rear of the opening to displayportion 82 with tabs 99, 100 fitted within openings 146 and formed overto retain the circuit board in place. In this position, photo sensor 148is aligned with lens 116 previously positioned in aperture 114 ofhousing 20. LEDs 144a, 144b are aligned between interior wall 100 andend wall 90, LED 144c is aligned between interior walls 98, 100, and LED144d is aligned between end wall 88 and interior wall 98. Electricalwiring 26 is positioned within recess 120. Electrical wiring 30 ispositioned on one side or the other of recess 108 within space 106 andextends out through recess 122 at the lower end of skirt 84. Thereafter,housing 22 is aligned with mirror stay 14 such that locating flanges 68,72 are positioned adjacent the interior surfaces of end walls 88, 90 andsurface 72 is aligned with the side of lens 116. The housing and mirrorstay are then moved toward one another such that edges 102, 104 arereceived on edges 60, 62 and threaded screw 176 or other fastener ispassed through aperture 110 into aperture 74 in the mirror stay tosecure the housing in place and form a unitary support assembly with themirror stay. The edges of the housing and mirror stay mate and are flushwith one another. After assembly, electrical wiring 30 and connector 32project toward the rearview mirror assembly for connection thereto fromthe lower end of assembly 10, while electrical wiring 26 and connector28 project from the top surface of the assembly for connection to thevehicle electrical system at the headliner/header area of the vehicleabove the windshield. The assembly may then be snapped onto previouslypositioned windshield button B for retention thereon in position forviewing by the vehicle operator in the manner described in U.S. Pat. No.5,820,097, and connector 28 may be engaged with the vehicle electricalsystem to provide electrical power for the information display 22 andthe electrically-operated mirror assembly 12. In this position, lowerarea 64 and a significant portion of the remainder of assembly 10 isconcealed from view of the vehicle driver and at least some of thevehicle occupants by rearview mirror 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9.

Rearview mirror assembly 12 is independently adjustable of the positionof mirror stay 14 and housing 20 when assembly 10 is mounted onwindshield mounted button B. Rearview mirror 12 includes a generallyspherical socket received over ball member 16 such that assembly 12 maybe pivoted in a universal manner while wiring 30 flexes to allow suchmovement. Thus, the rearview mirror assembly may be positioned to theindividual needs of the various operators/drivers of the vehicle, whiledisplay element 130 remains independently, and preferably fixedly,positioned immediately adjacent, and preferably above, the rearviewmirror assembly for viewing by all such drivers. Alternately, ball pivotmember 16 could be a double ball pivot assembly or a mount for attachinga channel mount and an associated support assembly for a rearview mirrorassembly as show and described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos.5,100,095 and 4,930,742, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference herein. It is within the scope of thisinvention to configure the mirror stay and information display such thatthe display element is positioned immediately adjacent bottom, side orother portions of the rearview mirror while the display remains visibleto vehicle occupants. In the event of an accident, impact against eitherrearview mirror assembly 12 or any portion of assembly 10 allows releaseand separation of the entire assembly and supported rearview mirrorassembly from windshield mounted button B by means of mounting assembly150 as described above.

With reference FIGS. 10-14, a second embodiment 200 of the rearviewmirror support and information display assembly for vehicles is shown.Assembly 200 is similar to assembly 10 and is adapted to support arearview mirror assembly for independent adjustment by means of a rigidmirror stay 202 having an extending spherical ball member 204 thereonfor receipt of a rearview mirror assembly. A housing 206 is removablysecured over mirror stay 202 by means of a threaded fastener 208 andencloses and conceals at least a portion of wire harness 140therewithin. However, rather than being releasably coupled to awindshield mounted button as in assembly 10, assembly 200 is adapted forreleasable coupling to a header mounted base 214 as is more fullydescribed hereinafter.

As is best seen in FIGS. 11 and 12, rigid mirror stay 202 includes acurved body 220 extending from a lower rearview mirror mounting area222, from which ball member 204 extends on the forward side thereof, toan upper header mounting area 224. The front side 223 of mirror staybody 220, which faces the interior of the vehicle and the vehicleoccupants, includes a recessed area 226 in which is formed an aperture228 for receiving fastening screw 208 to secure housing 206 thereto anda raised, projecting housing mounting area 230. Upper header mountingarea 224 includes a mounting recess 232 which receives a flanged springwasher or clip 236 and threaded aperture 234 which receives a headedretainer or fastening screw 238 coupling the mirror stay to the basemember 214 for releasable breakaway separation upon impact in the mannerdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,095, incorporated by reference above.Flanged washer 236 is received in shouldered aperture 240 of base member214 such that flanges 237 project downwardly through the aperture andinto aperture 232 of the mirror stay. A headed screw 238 is insertedthrough the aperture formed by spring flanges 237, through aperture 240and into threaded aperture 234 in mirror stay 202. Thereafter, base 214,which is wider than header mounting area 224, is secured to the vehicleroof adjacent the top edge of the front windshield by screws 241 suchthat the mirror stay curves downwardly along the inside surface of thewindshield to support a rearview mirror assembly in viewing positionbelow the top edge of the windshield.

Prior to mounting mirror stay 202 on the vehicle in the manner describedabove, a wire harness 140', similar in all respects to wire harness 140,is inserted through an aperture in header mounting area 224 such thatelectrical wiring 26' and connector 28' extend therefrom and throughbase member 214 for connection to the vehicle electrical system. Acircuit board 142', including LEDs or other light sources 144' and photosensor 148', extends below the mirror stay such that electrical wiring30' and connector 32' are positioned adjacent the lower portion 222 ofthe mirror stay. Housing 206 is connected to circuit board 142' in amanner similar to that in assembly 10 and includes an informationdisplay portion 242 including a display element 244 which is fittedtherein or insert molded when housing 206 is formed preferably byinjection molding. As shown in FIG. 13, information display portion 242is generally oval or elliptically shaped and is adapted to fit overprojection 230 and secure circuit board 142' between a series ofinternal walls 246 (FIG. 14) and the projection 230. Curving downwardlyfrom information display portion 242 is a hollow skirt 248 having arecess 250 in its outer surface and a pair of converging side edges 252,254 which form a hollow interior 256 through which electrical wiring 30'extends to the lower portion 222 of the mirror stay. A screw receivingaperture 258 extends through recess 250 for receipt of fastener 208 tosecure housing 206 on the front surface of mirror stay 202 with wireharness 140' therebetween. Accordingly, when housing 206 is secured tomirror stay 202 with fastener 208, electrical wiring 26' and 30' extendthrough the interior space 256 and project upwardly for connection tothe vehicle and downwardly for connection to the rearview mirrorassembly when mounted on ball member 204 but are concealed from viewfrom the vehicle occupants by the housing. Wire harness 140', circuitboard 142', light sources 144' and photo sensor 148' operate in a mannerlike that described above for wire harness 140 to provide backlitillumination of indicia formed on display element 244. Alternately,other displays as described above could be used in housing 206.

In the event assembly 200 is impacted by a vehicle occupant such asduring an accident, force applied to housing 206, mirror stay 202 or anyrearview mirror mounted thereon will create a pivot action pulling screw238 through flanges 237 of spring washer clip 236 allowing release ofthe entire assembly including mirror stay 202 and housing 206 from basemember 214.

The rearview mirror support and information display assembly 10, 200, orthe rearview mirror attached thereto, or any rearview mirror assembly inthe vehicle, may also incorporate an in-vehicle train approach warningsystem. Such a train approach warning system alerts the driver of avehicle of the imminent arrival of a train at a railroad-highwaycrossing. Such a warning system can activate audible and/or visualalarms in the vehicle if a train is approaching. A hazard warning ispreferably displayed at the interior mirror (optionally, also/or at anexterior mirror), most preferably at the rearview support andinformation display assembly of this present invention. Such trainwarning display may override any existing display so that the driver isfully alerted to any potential hazard. Vehicle-to-roadside communicationantennas (such as are available from 3M Corp. of St. Paul, Minn.) can beattached to railroad signs, crossing barriers, and the like, and cantransmit to antennas mounted on the vehicle (located such as withinassembly 10, 200, within, on or at an interior mirror assembly, aninterior cabin trim item, or an exterior sideview mirror assembly). Atrackside communications system is available from Dynamic Vehicle SafetySystems of Amarillo, Tex. that detects signals from a train approachinga crossing, and transmits these to such as a sign along the road thatforewarns of a railroad crossing ahead. The sign then sends a signal tothe receiver unit (located at, within, or on the interior rearviewmirror assembly, for example) in the vehicle, which in turn activates awarning such as at display 22 in assembly 10, 200, or at rearview mirror12.

The rearview mirror support and information display assembly 10, 200, orthe rearview mirror 12, or any rearview mirror assembly in the vehicle,such as the interior rearview mirror assembly, may also incorporate avehicle tracking unit which tracks where a vehicle is located, and isthus useful should the vehicle be stolen, or should the driver needemergency assistance at a remote location whose address is unknown tothe driver. Such a system is available from ATX Technologies of SanAntonio, Tex. and uses global positioning satellites and cellularcommunications to pinpoint the location of the vehicle. Assistance canbe rendered by the ATX supplied unit (known as an On-Guard Tracker (TM)unit) on how to handle emergency situations, direction can be rendered,remote unlocking of door locks can be achieved if the owner's keys aremisplaced or locked in the vehicle. Messages (such as e-mail messages,hazard warning messages, vehicle status messages, page messages, etc.)can be displayed at display 22 or at the interior mirror assembly, wherethe driver is always regularly looking as part and parcel of the normaldriving task.

It is also possible to incorporate low level console or instrumentationlighting for vehicles in assemblies 10, 200 by fitting a low level,non-incandescent, light emitting light source such as a light emittingdiode on assemblies 10, 200 for illumination of instrument panel orconsole areas as disclosed in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,996,the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Avariety of emitting sources may be used as the light emitting source,including, but not limited to, very high intensity amber andreddish-orange light emitting diode (LED) sources, such as solid statelight emitting diode LED sources utilizing double heterojunctionAIGaAs/GaAs material technology, such as very high intensity red LEDlamps T-13/4 (5 mm) HLMP-4100/4101, available from Hewlett PackardCorporation, Palo Alto, Calif., or which use transparent substratealuminum indium gallium phosphide (AlInGaP) material technology,commercially available from Hewlett Packard Corporation, Palo Alto,Calif. under the designation T-13/4 (5 mm) HLMT-DL00, HLMT-CH00,HLMT-CL00, HLMT-CH15, HLMT-CL15 and HLMT-DH00, or which use InCaAlPmaterial technology available from Toshiba Corporation of Latham, N.Y.,such as under the designation TLRH180D. Light emittance colors providedby such solid-state sources include orange, yellow, amber, red andreddish-orange, desirably without need of ancillary spectral filters.The preferred solid-state light emitting diodes, at 25° C. orthereabouts, operate at a forward voltage of about 2 volts to about 5volts; have a luminous intensity (measured at the peak of the spacialradiation pattern which may not be aligned with the mechanical axis ofthe source package) of a minimum, at 20 mA current, of about 500 toabout 5000 mcd (typical, about 700 to about 7000 mcd); operate at aforward current of about 20 mA to about 50 mA; emit with a dominantwavelength (CIE Chromaticity Diagram) of about 530 nm to about 680 nm;and have a viewing angle 2Θ_(1/2) (where Θ_(1/2) is the off-axis anglewhere the luminous intensity is one half the peak intensity) of about 5degrees to about 25 degrees.

The LED source preferably has a well-defined light pattern, such as acone of directed, low level light which eliminates the need forreflectors or other separate optical components to direct the lightwhere desired is preferably mounted on or within the mirror case 12, orthe mirror support 10 and positioned to direct light at the desired areaof the vehicle interior, e.g., the instrument panel or console area, andgenerates low heat while having an extremely long and durable life whichtypically will outlast the operational life of the rearview mirrorassembly and the vehicle on which it is mounted. If mounted on or withinmirror support 10, the LED source may be fixed to illuminate apredetermined location within the interior cabin. The small size of thelight emitting source, which preferably has a cross-sectional area lessthan about 4 cm², and more preferably less than about 1 cm², allows itto be easily positioned within the confined spaces of the rearviewmirror assembly or mirror support. Because of their durability, thesesources require little or no maintenance or repair thereby eliminatingconcern for access after the mirror assembly or mirror support ismanufactured. The HLMT-DL00diode from Hewlett Packard is available witha generally circular area of about 0.3 cm² and requires only 20 mAcurrent for operation and provides a 23° cone of directed light with adominant amber color of a typical dominant wavelength of approximately590 nm, and a typical intensity of 1500 millicandela (mcd). Preferably,a resistor of about 450 ohms to about 500 ohms, typically about 470ohms, is connected in series with the preferred LED, with theignition/battery voltage of the vehicle being directly applied acrosstheir series connection. Other colors such as green, orange, yellow, redand blue may be also be obtained depending on the elemental compositionof the diode or other light emitting source selected. Separate filtersare not required to produce the colors. The low level illuminationprovided by the light emitting diode preferably has a maximum of about0.2 to 0.4 lux at a distance of between about 22 and 26 inches atcurrent of about 20 mA to about 50 mA at about 2.0 volts to about 5.0volts. A resistor is preferably connected in series with the lightemitting diode to act as a voltage divider so as to reduce the ignitionvoltage of the vehicle, which is in the range of 9 to 16 volts(nominally 12 volts), to the desired operating voltage of the lightsource (which typically is in the range of about 1 volt to about 5volts, with about 2 volts to about 4.5 volts most typical for thepreferred solid-state, very high intensity LED sources). The resistorpreferably has a resistance of less than about 1500 ohms and greaterthan about 100 ohms; more preferably less than about 1000 ohms andgreater than about 200 ohms.

Alternately, white light LEDs can also be used as non-incandescent lightsources in the manner described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,996. Also, suchas is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,996 above, a plurality of LEDssuch as of red emitting, amber emitting, red-amber emitting or whitelight emitting diodes can be included on the combined rearview mirrorsupport and information display assembly (and/or on the rearview mirrorattached thereto) to provide interior lighting, such as map lighting,for the vehicle. For example, a plurality of at least two (preferably atleast four) white light LEDs (or another color such as red, amber orred-amber) can be provided on or in a bottom surface of the rearviewmirror case and adapted to shine light onto occupants' lap areas in thefront seat area for map reading, interior lighting, and the like. Useroperable switches to allow occupant activation of such combined rearviewmirror support and information display assembly mounted and/or rearviewmirror mounted LED interior lights can be provided on the combinedassembly, the mirror case or elsewhere, within the vehicle interiorcabin.

Referring to FIG. 15, a third embodiment 300 of the invention includesrearview mirror assembly 301 having a mirror case 302, with a bezel 304and reflector 306 supported therein, and a rearview mirror support andinformation display assembly 308, both of which are mounted to a windowbutton 300a adhered to windshield W by a mounting assembly 150'substantially similar to that in assembly 10. Rearview mirror supportand information display assembly 308 includes a support stay 310,including ball pivot member 312 for mounting rearview mirror assembly301 to windshield button 300a with mounting assembly 150'. As will bemore fully described below, assembly 300 may also include one or more ofa plurality of electrical and/or electronic components mounted in or onany one of the components of mirror assembly 301, including case 302,bezel 304, reflector 306, support and display assembly 308, windshieldbutton 300a and/or circuit board within assembly 308. For example, thepresent invention may include those assemblies described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 08/799,734, entitled "Vehicle Blind Spot Detectionand Display System", invented by Schofield et al. and filed Feb. 12,1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,772, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference. A blind spot detection indicator 314may be positioned in reflector 306. Furthermore, mirror assembly 301 mayinclude a variety of vehicle accessories such as a rain sensor 316mounted, for example, on assembly 308. Rain sensor functionality, as iscommonly known in the automotive art, is provided in association with aninterior rearview mirror assembly. Such association includes utilizingan element of the rearview mirror assembly (such as a plastic housingattached, for example, to the mirror channel mount that conventionallyattaches the mirror assembly to a windshield button) to cover awindshield-contacting rain sensor (such as is described in U.S. Pat. No.4,973,844 entitled "Vehicular Moisture Sensor and Mounting ApparatusTherefor", the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein byreference), or it may include a non-windshield-contacting rain sensor(such as is described in PCT International Application PCT/US94/05093entitled "Multi-Function Light Sensor For Vehicle", published as WO94/27262 on Nov. 24, 1994, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein). Also, a mirror mounted video cameracan be used to visually detect the presence of moisture on thewindshield, and actuate the windshield wipers accordingly, such as isdescribed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/621,863,filed Mar. 25, 1996, entitled VEHICLE HEADLIGHT CONTROL USING IMAGINGSENSOR, by Schofield et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,094, which ishereby incorporated by reference herein.

Rearview mirror assembly 301 or assembly 308 may also include one ormore displays 318 which may be mounted on one or more of the assemblycomponents as noted above, including as a display in assembly 308 aboverearview mirror assembly 301 as an option (FIG. 15). In like manner tothe displays in assemblies 10, 200 above, displays 318 may perform asingle display function or multiple display functions, such as providingindication of an additional vehicle function, for example a compassmirror display function, a temperature display function, status ofinflation of tires display function, a passenger air bag disable displayfunction, an automatic rain sensor operation display function, telephonedial information display function, highway status information displayfunction, blind spot indicator display function, or the like. Suchdisplay may be an alpha-numerical display or a multi-pixel display, andmay be fixed or scrolling. Such an automatic rain sensor operationdisplay function may include a display function related to rain sensor316 for both a windshield-contacting and a non-windshield-contactingrain sensor, including, for example, where the circuitry to control rainsensor 316 and other electrical and/or electronic devices, includingelectrochromic dimming circuitry 320 of a variable reflectanceelectrochromic mirror, bulb holders, and switches, are commonly housedin or on rearview mirror assembly 301 and wholly or partially sharecomponents on common circuit board 322. Circuit board 322 may be acarrier member incorporating a circuit member of the type described incopending, commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/918,772, filed Aug. 25, 1997, by DeLine et al., the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Display 318 mayalternate between display functions by a display toggle which may bemanually operated, time-shared, voice-actuated, or under the control ofsome other sensed function, such as a change in direction of the vehicleor the like. Should a rain sensor control circuitry 317 be associatedwith, incorporated in, or coupled to assembly 300, rain sensor controlcircuitry 317, in addition to providing automatic or semi-automaticcontrol over operation of the windshield wipers (on the front and/orrear windshield of the vehicle), may be adapted to control the defoggerfunction to defog condensed vapor on an inner cabin surface of a vehicleglazing (such as the inside surface of the front windshield, such as byoperating a blower fan, heater function, air conditioning function, orthe like), or rain sensor control circuitry 317 may be coupled to asunroof to close the sunroof or any other movable glazing should rainconditions be detected.

As stated above, it may be advantageous for the rain sensor controlcircuitry 317 (or any other feature such as a head-lamp controller, aremote keyless entry receiver, a cellular phone including itsmicrophone, a vehicle status indicator and the like) to share componentsand circuitry with other components and/or control circuitry, forexample with an electrochromic mirror function control circuitry and anelectrochromic mirror assembly itself. Also, a convenient way to mount anon-windshield-contacting rain sensor such as described in applicationSer. No. PCT/US904/05093 referenced above, is by attachment, such as bysnap-on attachment, as a module to the mirror channel mount or, in thiscase, mirror stay 310, such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,576,687entitled "Mirror Support Bracket," invented by R. Hook et al. and issuedNov. 19, 1996, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference herein. Assembly 308 and/or windshield button may optionallybe specially adapted to accommodate a non-windshield-mounting rainsensor module. Such mounting as a module is readily serviceable andattachable to a wide variety of lighted and unlighted interior mirrorassemblies (both electrochromic and non-electrochromic such asprismatic, manually adjusted mirror assemblies), and can help ensureappropriate alignment of the non-windshield-mounted variety of rainsensor to the vehicle windshield insofar that the module attached to themirror mount or assembly 308 remains fixed whereas the mirror itself,which attaches to assembly 308 via a single or double ball jointsupport, is movable so that the driver can adjust the field of view.Also, should smoke from cigarettes and the like be a potential source ofinterference to the operation of the non-windshield-contacting rainsensor, then a mirror-attached housing can be used to shroud the rainsensor unit and shield it from smoke (and other debris). Optionally,such ability to detect presence of cigarette smoke can be used toenforce a non-smoking ban in vehicles, such as is commonly requested byrental car fleet operators. Also, when a rain sensor (contacting ornon-contacting) is used to activate the wiper on the rear window (rearblacklight) of the vehicle, the rain sensor may be alternativelypackaged and mounted with the CHMSL (center high mounted stop light)stop light assembly commonly mounted on the rear window glass or closeto it. Mounting of the rain sensor with the CHMSL stop light can beaesthetically appealing and allow sharing ofcomponents/wiring/circuitry.

As mentioned above, the concepts of this present invention can be usedwith interior rearview mirrors equipped with a variety of features andaccessories, such as a home access transmitter 324, a high/low (ordaylight running beam/low) headlamp controller 326, a hands-free phoneattachment 328, a video device 330, such as a video camera, for internalcabin surveillance and/or video telephone function, a remote keylessentry receiver 332, a compass 334, a seat occupancy detection 336, oneor more map reading lights 338, a trip computer 340, an intrusiondetector 342, and the like. Display 318 may also include acompass/temperature and/or clock display, fuel level display, and othervehicle status and other information displays. Again, such features canshare components and circuitry with, for example, electrochromic mirrorcircuitry 320 and other components of assembly 300 so that provision ofthese extra features is economical.

Placement of video device 330 (FIG. 15) either at, within, or on theinterior rearview mirror assembly (including within or on a moduleattached to a mirror structure such as assembly 308 which attaches tothe windshield button) has numerous advantages. In the illustratedembodiment, video device 330 is located in case 302 and positioned belowreflective element 306. For example, locating video device 330 inrearview mirror assembly 300 provides the video device 330 with anexcellent field of view of the driver and of the interior cabin ingeneral since the rearview mirror is centrally and high mounted. Also,mirror assembly 300 is at a defined distance from the driver so thatfocus of the video device is facilitated. Also, if video device 330 isplaced on a movable portion of mirror assembly 300, for example, onmirror case 302, the normal alignment of mirror reflector 306 relativeto the driver's field of vision rearward can be used to readily alignthe video device 330 to view the head of the driver. Since the videodevice is fixed to the mirror case, normal alignment by the driver ofthe reflector element in the case to properly see out the rear window ofthe vehicle simultaneously aligns the video device, i.e., camera, toview the driver's head, of great benefit in video conferencing and thelike. Since many interior rearview mirrors, such as lighted mirrors, areelectrically serviced, placement of video device 330 at, within, or onthe rearview mirror assembly can be conventionally and economicallyrealized, with common sharing of components and circuitry by, forexample, compass 334 (which may include a flux gate sensor, amagneto-resistive sensor, a magneto-inductive sensor, or amagneto-capacitive sensor), a bulb holder for light 338 or bulbs,switches, an electrical distribution busbar such as a circuit member asshown in U.S. Ser. No. 08/918,772, mentioned above, a display, such asdisplay 318, and electrochromic dimming mirror circuitry 320. Althoughthe driver is likely the principal target and beneficiary of videodevice 330, the lens of video device 330 can be mechanically orelectrically (i.e., via a joystick) adjusted to view otherportions/occupants of the vehicle cabin interior. Alternately, the videodevice's field of view can be voice responsive so that whoever isspeaking in the vehicle is image captured. In this regard, the joystickcontroller that adjusts the position of the reflector on the outsiderearview mirrors can, optionally, be used to adjust the video device 330field of view as well. Preferably, video device 330 is fixedly mountedin the mirror case 302 and connected to a circuit member such as 322with the lens of video device 330 positioned for viewing through bezel304. Alternately, video device 330 may be mounted in assembly 308 abovethe mirror housing (but mechanically attached thereto so the camerafield of vision moves in tandem with movement of the mirror housing).Alternately, video device 330 may be mounted in assembly 308 attached tothe mounting assembly 150' or on windshield button 300a (with the cameralens facing rearward in the vehicle and generally facing the driver).Video device 330 may comprise a CCD camera or a CMOS based videomicrochip camera (which may be an active pixel sensor CMOS array or apassive pixel sensor CMOS array), such as is described in commonlyowned, co-pending, European Patent Application EP 0 788 947, ApplicationNumber 97105447.3, filed Feb. 25, 1994, published Aug. 13, 1997, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Foroperation at night, the internal cabin of the vehicle may optionally beilluminated with non-visible radiation, such as near-infrared radiation,with video device 330 being responsive to the near-infrared radiation sothat a video telephone call can be conducted even when the interiorcabin is dark to visible light, such as at night.

Also, video device 330, which is preferably mounted at, within, or onthe inner rearview mirror assembly (such as within the mirror case 302or in assembly 308), may be adapted to capture an image of the face of apotential driver and then, using appropriate image recognition software,decide whether the driver is authorized to operate the vehicle and, onlythen, enable the ignition system to allow the motor of the vehicle bestarted. Use of such a mirror-mounted video device (or a digital stillcamera) enhances vehicle security and reduces theft. Further, videodevice 330 may be adapted to monitor the driver while driving and, bydetection of head droop, eye closure, eye pupil change, or the like,determine whether the driver is becoming drowsy/falling asleep, and thento activate a warning to the driver to stay alert/wake up.

It is beneficial to use a microprocessor to control multiple functionswithin the interior mirror assembly and/or within other areas of thevehicle (such as the header console area), and such as is described inIrish Patent Application Serial No. 970014, entitled "A Vehicle RearviewMirror and A Vehicle Control System Incorporating Such Mirror," filedJan. 9, 1997, published as International PCT Application No. WO98/30415, on Jul. 16, 1998, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein. Such microprocessor can, for example,control the electrochromic dimming function, a compass directiondisplay, an external temperature display, and the like. Some or all ofthe electrical/electronic components can be mounted or included on thecircuit board within support assembly 308 to lighten and improve thevibration response of the supported rearview mirror. For example, a useractuatable switch can be provided that at one push turns on acompass/temperature display, on second push changes the temperaturedisplay to metric units (i.e., to degrees Celsius), on third pushchanges to Imperial units (i.e., degrees Fahrenheit) and on fourth pushturns off the compass/temperature display, with the microprocessorcontrolling the logic of the display. Alternately, a single switchactuation turns on the display in Imperial units, the second actuationchanges it to metric units, and third actuation turns the display off.Further, the displays and functions described herein can find utilityalso on outside rearview mirrors. For example, a transducer 344 whichreceives and/or transmits information to a component of an intelligenthighway system (such as is known in the automotive art) can beincorporated into an interior and/or outside rearview mirror assemblyand, preferably, mounted to common circuit board 322. Thus, for example,a transmitter/receiver 346 for automatic toll booth function could bemounted at/within/on an outside sideview mirror assembly. Preferably,transmitter/receiver 346 is also mounted to common circuit board 322. Adigital display of the toll booth transaction can be displayed bydisplay 318. Optionally, a micro printer 348 may be incorporated withinrearview mirror assembly 300 which can print a receipt or record of thetransaction. In the illustrated embodiment, printer 348 is shown mountedin case 302, but it should be understood, as with most of the othercomponents, that it can be mounted in a variety of locations on mirrorassembly 300, such as in assembly 308. Similarly, for safety andsecurity on the highways, GPS information, state of traffic information,weather information, telephone number information, and the like may bedisplayed and transmitted/received via transducers located at, within,or on an interior rearview mirror assembly, including assembly 308,and/or an outside sideview mirror assembly.

In like manner, a microprocessor as described above can be used tocontrol an imaging sensor 374 (FIG. 15), such as a CMOS or CCD basedmicro-chip camera array, which can be incorporated within rearviewmirror assembly 300, or more preferably, mirror support assembly 308, toface forward and sense oncoming headlights or other taillights andadjust the headlights of the controlled vehicle in response to suchsensing as described in copending, commonly assigned U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 08/621,863, filed Mar. 25, 1996, by Schofield etal., entitled VEHICLE HEADLIGHT CONTROL USING IMAGING SENSOR, U.S. Pat.No. 5,796,094 the disclosure of which was incorporated by referenceherein as noted above. The imaging sensor can divide the scene forwardof the controlled vehicle into spatially separated sensing regions, andprovide for different exposure periods, while sensing light or theabsence of light in each region.

Also, interior rearview mirror assembly 300 may optionally include anInternet Interface circuit 350 to provide a link to the Worldwide Web.Circuit 350 may be coupled to a modem/cellular phone or cell phonecontrol panel 352 mounted within the vehicle, and preferably, mountedat, within or on the interior rearview mirror assembly 300, includingassembly 308. Thus, the driver or passenger can interact with other roadusers, can receive/transmit messages including E-mail, can receiveweather and status of highway traffic/conditions, and the like, via amirror located interface to the INTERNET, and display messages therefromat the mirror assembly such as at the support mounted display.

Further, a trainable garage door opener 354, including a universalgarage door opener such as is available from Prince Corporation,Holland, Michigan under the tradename HOMELINK™, or a transmitter 356for a universal home access system which replaces the switch in ahousehold garage that opens/closes the garage door with a smart switchthat is programmable to a household specific code that is of the rollingcode type, such as is available from TRW Automotive, Farmington Hills,Mich. under the tradename KWIKLINK™, may be mounted at, within, or oninterior mirror assembly 300 (or, if desired, an outside sideviewmirror). Switches to operate such devices (typically up to threeseparate push type switches, each for a different garage door/securitygate/household door) can be mounted on mirror assembly 300, preferablyuser actuatable from the front face of the mirror case 302 or assembly308. Preferably, the universal garage door opener HOMELINK™ unit or theuniversal home access KWIKLINK™ unit is mounted at, within, or oninterior rearview mirror assembly 300. Optionally, such a unit could bemounted at, within or on an outside sideview mirror assembly.

The KWIKLINK™ Universal Home Access System (which operates on a rollingcode, such as is commonly known in the home/vehicle security art)comprises a vehicle mounted transmitter and a receiver located in thegarage. The KWIKLINK™ system is a low-current device that can be,optionally, operated off a battery source, such as a long life lithiumbattery. It is also compact and lightweight as executed on a single-ordouble-sided printed circuit board. The KWIKLINK™ printed circuit boardcan be mounted within the mirror housing (optionally adhered to a shockabsorber comprising a double-sticky tape anti-scatter layer on the rearof the reflector element (prismatic or electrochromic) such as isdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,354 entitled "Rear Mirror Assembly",invented by J. Desmond et al. and issued Nov. 5, 1996, the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference herein or may be accommodatedwithin and with the detachable module attached to the mirror stay 310 orto the mirror button 300a. Mounting the KWIKLINK™ unit in a detachablemodule has advantages, particularly for aftermarket supply where abattery operated KWIKLINK™ unit can be supplied within an assembly suchas 308 (with the necessary user actuatable button or buttons mounted onthe assembly and with the battery being readily serviceable either byaccess through a trap door and/or by detaching the assembly from thewindshield). By supplying a battery-operated, stand-alone, snap-on,detachable KWIKLINK™ mirror mount pod, the KWIKLINK™ home access systemcan be readily and economically provided to a broad range of mirrorsincluding non-electrical mirrors such as base prismatic mirrors, andelectrical mirrors such as unlighted and lighted mirrors (includingprismatic and electrochromic types) and electro-optic mirrors, such aselectrochromic mirrors. Further, a solar panel 358 may be installed onassembly 308 for receiving sunlight to recharge the battery. In asimilar fashion, a security monitor such as a pyroelectric intrusiondetector as disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/720,237 filed Sep. 26, 1996, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein, remote keyless entry receiver, andcompass, as described previously, and the like, may be readily installedin mirror case 302 or assembly 308.

Assembly 300 may further include a cellular phone 360 incorporated intointerior mirror assembly 301 with its antenna, optionally, incorporatedinto the outside sideview mirror assembly or into inside rearview mirrorassembly 300. Such mounting within the mirror assemblies has severaladvantages including that of largely hiding the cellular phone andantenna from ready view by a potential thief. Furthermore, seatoccupancy detector 336 may be coupled to an air bag deployment/disablemonitor, which can be located at, within or on the interior rearviewmirror assembly 300. Seat occupancy detector 336 may comprise a videomicrochip or CCD camera seat occupancy detector, an ultrasonic detector,a pyroelectric detector, or anyone or more of their combination.Moreover, where more than one rearview mirror is being controlled oroperated, or when several vehicle accessories are linked to, forexample, an electrochromic interior or outside mirror, interconnectionscan be multiplexed, as is commonly known in the automotive art.Moreover, where it is desired to display external outdoor temperaturewithin the interior cabin of the vehicle, a temperature sensor (such asa thermocouple or thermistor) can be mounted at, within or on an outsidesideview mirror assembly (for example, it can protrude into theslipstream below the lower portion of the sideview mirror housing in amanner that is aesthetically and styling acceptable to the automakersand to the consumer) and with the temperature sensor output connected,directly or by multiplexing to display 318 or a separate display (suchas a vacuum fluorescent display) located in the interior cabin of thevehicle.

Preferably, the external temperature display is located at, within or onthe interior rearview mirror assembly, optionally in combination withanother display function such as a compass display (see U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 08/799,734, entitled "Vehicle Blind Spot DetectionSystem" invented by K. Schofield et al., and filed Feb. 12, 1997), nowU.S. Pat No. 5,786,772 or as a stand-alone pod such as assembly 308 as amodule combined with a mirror support member. Most preferably, theinterior and outside mirror assemblies are suppled by the same supplier,using just-in-time sequencing methods, such as is commonly known in theautomotive supply art and as is commonly used such as for supply ofseats to vehicles. Just-in-time and/or sequencing techniques can be usedto supply a specific option (for example, the option of configuring anexternal temperature display with a base prismatic interior mirror, orwith a base electrochromic interior mirror, or with a compass prismaticinterior mirror, or with a compass electrochromic interior mirror) foran individual vehicle as it passes down the vehicle assembly line. Thus,the automaker can offer a wide array of options to a consumer from anoption menu. Should a specific customer select an external temperaturedisplay for a particular vehicle due to be manufactured by an automakerat a particular location on a specific day/hour, then the mirror systemsupplier sends to the vehicle assembly plant, in-sequence and/orjust-in-time, a set of an interior rearview mirror assembly and at leastone outside sideview mirror assembly for that particular vehicle beingproduced that day on the assembly line, and with the outside sideviewmirror equipped with an external temperature sensor and with theinterior rearview mirror assembly or assembly 308 equipped with anexternal temperature display. Such just-in-time, in-sequence supply(which can be used for the incorporation of the various added featuresrecited herein) is facilitated when the vehicle utilized a car areanetwork such as is described in Irish Patent application No. 970014entitled "A Vehicle Rearview Mirror and A Vehicle Control SystemIncorporating Such Mirror", application date Jan. 9, 1997, published asInternational PCT Application No. WO 98/30415, on Jul. 16, 1998, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, or whenmultiplexing is used, such as is disclosed in U.S. patent applicationNo. 08/679,681 entitled "Vehicle Mirror Digital Network and DynamicallyInteractive Mirror System", invented by O'Farrell et al., and filed Jul.11, 1996, now U.S. Pat No. 5,798,575, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein. Also, given that an interiorelectrochromic mirror can optionally be equipped with a myriad offeatures (such as map lights, reverse inhibit line, headlamp activation,external temperature display, remote keyless entry control, seatoccupancy detector such as by ultrasonic, pyroelectric or infrareddetection, and the like), it is useful to equip such assemblies with astandard connector (for example, a 10-pin parallel connector) such aselectrical connections for receiving a plug connector 28 as describedabove, so that a common standard wiring harness can be provided acrossan automaker's entire product range. Naturally, multiplexing within thevehicle can help alleviate the need for more pins on such a connector,or allow a given pin or set of pins control more than one function.

The concepts of this present invention can be further utilized in addedfeature interior rearview mirror assemblies including those that includea loudspeaker (such as for a vehicle audio system, radio or the like, orfor a cellular phone including a video cellular phone). Such loudspeakermay be a high frequency speaker that is mounted at, within, or on theinterior rearview mirror assembly 300 (such as within the mirror case302 or assembly 308 and as shown as loudspeaker 362 in FIG. 47) and withits audio output, preferably, directed towards the front windshield ofthe vehicle so that the windshield itself at least partially reflectsthe audio output of the speaker (that preferably is a tweeter speaker,more preferably is a compact speaker such as about 1"×1"×1" indimensions or smaller, and most preferably utilizes a neodymium magnetcore) back into the interior cabin of the vehicle. Interior rearviewmirror assembly 300 may also include a microphone 364 and a digital (ora conventional magnetic tape) recorder 366 with its associated circuitry368, which can be used by vehicle occupants to record messages and thelike. Display 318 may be adapted to receive paging information from apager 370, which may be incorporated in interior rearview mirrorassembly 300, for example, in assembly 308, and that displays messagesto the driver (preferably via a scrolling display) or to otheroccupants. Interior rearview mirror assembly 300 may include a digitalstorage device 372, which stores information such as phone numbers,message reminders, calendar information, and the like, that can,automatically or on demand, display information to the driver.

The concepts of this present invention can be utilized in a variety ofprismatic and electrochromic compass mirrors (both lighted and unlightedmirrors) that display directional information based upon compass sensor334 (which may comprise a flux gate sensor, a magneto-responsive sensor,such as an magneto-resistive sensor, magneto-inductive sensor, or amagneto-capacitive sensor, a hall affect sensor, or an equivalentcompass sensor). Alternatively, directional information obtained from ageographic positioning system such as a Global Positioning System (GPS)as is disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/569,851, filed Dec. 8, 1995, entitled VEHICLE GLOBAL POSITIONINGSYSTEM, by O'Farrell et al, now U.S. Pat No. 5,971,552, the disclosureof which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, could be used toprovide the compass direction signal for a mirror mounted display. Forinstance, a mirror of this invention could utilize a variable reflectiveelement with an electrochromic solid polymer matrix such as described inco-pending, commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/824,501, filed on Mar. 27, 1997, now U.S. Pat No. 5,910,854, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Compass sensor334 may be mounted anywhere in the vehicle and with its directionalsignal fed to a digital display, for example display 318, (such as aliquid crystal display, a vacuum fluorescent display, or light emittingdiode display, an electro luminescent display, or the like) that ismounted at/in/on interior rearview mirror assembly 300. In anotherexample, compass sensor 334 may also be mounted in the dashboard or inthe header region close to the roof of the vehicle. Compass sensor 334may also be mounted at interior rearview mirror assembly 300 byplacement within assembly 308 that fixedly mounts sensor 334 towindshield button mount 300a, and as is described in U.S. Pat. No.5,530,240 to Larson et al. and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,576,687 entitled"Mirror Support Bracket", referred to above. In the illustratedembodiment, however, compass sensor 334 is mounted within case 302 ofinterior mirror assembly 300 along with its associated circuitry and anyoptional map lights (338) and the like. Mounting of compass sensor 334within the housing of the interior mirror assembly (as an alternate toplacing the compass within assembly 308, which may be fixedly attachedto mirror support that typically attaches to the front windshield andbracket) has some advantages. For example, by mounting compass sensor334 within case 302, additional wiring in the wire harness, which wouldbe required to couple the compass directional signals from sensor 334 inassembly 308 to display 318, which is preferably mounted within case 302or assembly 308. Such location of compass sensor 334 within or at case302 or assembly 308 of mirror assembly 300 also means that there is noexternal evidence of the presence of the sensor, and, thus, aestheticsare potentially enhanced. Also, such placement of sensor 334 within case302 of mirror assembly 300 (such as schematically shown in FIG. 15) issuitable for header mounted mirrors such as assembly 200 above or asshown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,857, the reference to which hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety. Most preferably, sensor 334is in the form of an integrated circuit chip mount (or similar printedcircuit board insertable form) so that compass sensor 334 can be placedon circuit board 322 as are preferably the other electrical/electroniccomponents within case 302 of interior mirror assembly 300. By havingcompass sensor 334 housed within the rearview mirror assembly 300 alongwith it wholly or partially sharing components, manufacturing andpackaging economies are realized. Such housing of compass sensor 334 oncommon printed circuit board or circuit member 322 along with the otherelectrical and/or electronic components, for example, any one or moreelectrical or electronic components described in reference to this andearlier embodiments, including any electrochromic dimming circuitry toautomatically dim reflectivity when glare conditions are detected bylight sensors, displays, any bulb holders/switches, microprocessors, andtheir like, further enhances the manufacturing and packaging economies.Since case 302 of mirror assembly 300 is adjustable by the driver toassist his or her needs, a compass sensor 334 within case 302 may have adifferent orientation from one driver to another, which may result in arelatively minor inaccuracy in directional information. Theseinaccuracies, however, are typically unnoticeable and, moreover, may bemitigated by using stabilization means and algorithms, including fuzzylogic, and/or using deviation compensatory means, as are known in thecompass art.

Further, where compass and compass/temperature displays such as shown inpending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/799,734, entitled "VehicleBlind Spot Detection and Display System", invented by Schofield et al.and filed Feb. 12, 1997, now U.S. Pat No. 5,786,772, are used, the frontplate over the display 318 may be angled relative to the driver's lineof sight (between about 2° to 10° and, most preferably, between about 4°to 8° relative to line of sight), so that any headlight glare incidentthereon is reflected away from the driver.

While several forms of the invention have been shown and described,other forms will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore,it will be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings anddescribed above are merely for illustrative purposes, and are notintended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined by theclaims which follow as interpreted under the principles of patent lawincluding the doctrine of equivalents.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are as follows:
 1. A unitary, interior rearviewmirror support and information display assembly for vehiclescomprising:a mirror stay having a mount for mounting said stay withinthe interior of a vehicle and a mirror support for engaging andsupporting a rearview mirror in viewing position for viewing by at leastthe driver of the vehicle; and an information display incorporatedwithin said mirror stay for displaying information visible to anoccupant within the vehicle in which said assembly is mounted; saidassembly having portions concealed from view by the vehicle occupant bythe rearview mirror when supported on said mirror support, said assemblyprojecting from behind the rearview mirror such that said informationdisplay is positioned adjacent the rearview mirror when supportedthereon such that information display is viewable by the vehicleoccupant.
 2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said information display isan emitting display.
 3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said emittingdisplay includes a display element and a light source for illuminatingsaid display element.
 4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein saidinformation display further includes a housing extending over a portionof said mirror stay for concealing said light source.
 5. The assembly ofclaim 4 wherein said information display includes an electrical circuitconnected to said light source, said electrical circuit including firstelectrical wiring for connection to the electrical system of the vehiclein which said assembly is mounted.
 6. The assembly of claim 5 whereinsaid electrical circuit includes second electrical wiring for connectionof electrical apparatus in a rearview mirror to the electrical system ofthe vehicle in which said assembly is mounted when the rearview mirroris supported on said mirror support.
 7. The assembly of claim 6 whereinsaid housing also includes a skirt defining a wire passageway betweensaid mirror stay and skirt, said skirt concealing a portion of saidfirst and second electrical wiring from view by any vehicle occupants.8. The assembly of claim 7 wherein said skirt includes a strain reliefmember for engaging at least one of said first and second electricalwiring within said passageway.
 9. The assembly of claim 7 wherein saidhousing includes an opening for passing said second electrical wiringout of said wire passageway for connection to the rearview mirror whensupported on said mirror support.
 10. The assembly of claim 9 whereinsaid housing also includes a another opening for passing said firstelectrical wiring out of said wire passageway for connection to thevehicle electrical system.
 11. The assembly of claim 10 wherein saidassembly includes a top surface adjacent the headliner above the frontwindshield of the vehicle in which said assembly is mounted, and a lowerarea positioned behind and to the rear of the rearview mirror andconcealed from the view of at least the vehicle driver when the rearviewmirror is supported on said mirror support, said opening being locatedin said top surface, said other opening being located in said lowerarea.
 12. The assembly of claim 4 wherein said housing extends outwardlyfrom said mirror stay from a position spaced behind and to the rear ofthe rearview mirror when supported on said mirror stay, a significantportion of said housing being concealed from view of the vehicle driverby the rearview mirror when supported on said mirror stay.
 13. Theassembly of claim 4 wherein said housing is formed separately from saidmirror stay and is removably mounted thereon.
 14. The assembly of claim3 wherein said display element includes indicia thereon; said lightsource being positioned for backlighting said indicia on said displayelement.
 15. The assembly of claim 3 wherein said light source is alight emitting diode.
 16. The assembly of claim 3 wherein said assemblyalso includes an electrical circuit connected to said light source; saidelectrical circuit also including a photo sensor adapted to receiveambient light from adjacent said assembly, said photo sensor connectedthrough said electrical circuit to said light source for controlling thebrightness of the light emitted by said light source in relation to theambient light level adjacent to said information display.
 17. Theassembly of claim 16 including a lens for directing ambient lightadjacent said assembly to said photo sensor.
 18. The assembly of claim 3wherein said display element includes indicia thereon which are visibleto an occupant of the vehicle in which said assembly is mounted onlywhen said indicia are backlit by said light source.
 19. The assembly ofclaim 3 wherein said display element includes indicia thereon; saidassembly also including an electrical circuit having a plurality oflight sources, each of said light sources being adapted to illuminatedifferent indicia on said display element.
 20. The assembly of claim 2wherein said emitting display is operated in tandem with lightedinstruments or displays mounted elsewhere on the vehicle in which saidassembly is mounted.
 21. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the operationof said emitting display is controlled by an electrical circuitincluding a manually operated switch.
 22. The assembly of claim 1wherein said information display is passive and includes indicia thereonvisible by an occupant of the vehicle in which said assembly is mounted.23. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said information display comprises adisplay element selected from the group consisting of light emittingdiodes, incandescent displays, vacuum fluorescent displays, cathode raytube displays, electroluminescent displays, and liquid crystal displays.24. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said information display includesinformation concerning the operation of a portion of the vehicle inwhich said assembly is mounted.
 25. The assembly of claim 24 whereinsaid information is selected from information concerning the operationof a passenger side air bag.
 26. The assembly of claim 24 wherein saidinformation is selected from engine temperature, oil pressure, tirepressure, fuel status, electrical voltage, compass direction, and time.27. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said mount includes a releasablecoupling allowing said mirror stay and said information display to breakaway and separate from a mounting member on the vehicle when impacted.28. The assembly of claim 27 including a base adapted for attachment tothe vehicle on which said assembly is mounted; said releasable couplingincluding a spring clip on one of said base and said mirror stay and aretainer on the other of said base and mirror stay, said spring clip andretainer engaging one another to hold said assembly to the vehicle whenthe base is mounted thereon, but separating from one another whenimpacted with a force such as in an accident.
 29. The assembly of claim28 wherein said mirror stay includes a mounting area, said spring clipmounted in said mounting area and having a plurality of retainingflanges to releasably secure said stay, said spring clip and saidassembly to said base, said base comprising a windshield mounted buttonadapted to be secured to the inside surface of the vehicle windshieldand having said retainer thereon.
 30. The assembly of claim 29 whereinsaid windshield mounted button includes a pair of outwardly flared andtapered side edges, an end surface, and a notch in said end surface. 31.The assembly of claim 28 wherein said base is adapted for attachment tothe header area above the front windshield of the vehicle in which saidassembly is mounted and includes an aperture therethrough in which saidspring clip is mounted; said mirror stay including a headed fastenerprojecting from said stay into engagement with said spring clip toreleasably secure said assembly to said base.
 32. The assembly of claim27 wherein said releasable coupling is adapted to engage a buttonattached to the inside surface of the front windshield of the vehicle inwhich said assembly is mounted.
 33. The assembly of claim 32 whereinsaid coupling includes a plurality of resilient retaining flanges onsaid mirror stay to releasably secure said assembly to the button, saidretaining flanges being formed from resilient material and located atpositions spaced from one another on said mirror stay for engaging thewindshield mounted button to releasably hold the button therebetween andagainst said mirror stay yet resiliently flex to release the button whenthe rearview mirror is impacted.
 34. The assembly of claim 1 whereinsaid mirror support includes a support for adjustably supporting arearview mirror in viewing position for at least the driver of thevehicle.
 35. The assembly of claim 34 wherein said mirror support is aball member extending outwardly from said mirror stay; said informationdisplay positioned on said mirror stay above said viewing position ofthe rearview mirror when supported on said ball member.
 36. The assemblyof claim 1 wherein said information display further includes a housingextending over a portion of said mirror stay; said housing extendingoutwardly from said mirror stay from a position spaced behind and to therear of the rearview mirror when supported on said mirror stay, at leasta portion of said housing being concealed from view of the vehicledriver by the rearview mirror when supported on said mirror stay.
 37. Aunitary, interior rearview mirror support and information displayassembly for vehicles comprising:a rigid mirror stay, a mount formounting said stay within a vehicle and a mirror support for adjustablysupporting a rearview mirror in position for viewing by at least thedriver of the vehicle, said mirror support located at a first positionon said mirror stay in a position behind and to the rear of the rearviewmirror when supported on said mirror support, said mirror stay extendingaround the position of a rearview mirror when mounted on said mirrorsupport to a second position adjacent the rearview mirror when supportedthereon; and an information display incorporated within said mirror stayfor displaying information visible to an occupant of the vehicle inwhich said assembly is mounted, said display positioned at said secondposition on said mirror stay such that said information display ispositioned at a location adjacent to the viewing position of therearview mirror when the rearview mirror is supported on said mirrorsupport, said information display being visible by the vehicle occupantwhen the rearview mirror is supported on the mirror support.
 38. Theassembly of claim 37 wherein said information display includes anemitting display.
 39. The assembly of claim 38 wherein said emittingdisplay includes a display element and a light source for illuminatingsaid display element.
 40. The assembly of claim 39 wherein saidinformation display includes an electrical circuit connected to saidlight source, said electrical circuit including first electrical wiringfor connection to the electrical system of the vehicle in which saidassembly is mounted.
 41. The assembly of claim 39 wherein said displayelement includes indicia thereon; said light source being positioned forbacklighting said indicia on said display element.
 42. The assembly ofclaim 41 wherein said light source is a light emitting diode.
 43. Theassembly of claim 37 wherein said assembly also includes an electricalcircuit connected to said light source; said electrical circuit alsoincluding a photo sensor adapted to receive ambient light from adjacentsaid assembly, said photo sensor connected through said electricalcircuit to said light source for controlling the brightness of the lightemitted by said light source in relation to the ambient light leveladjacent to said information display.
 44. The assembly of claim 43including a lens for directing ambient light adjacent said assembly tosaid photo sensor.
 45. The assembly of claim 39 wherein said emittingdisplay includes indicia thereon which are visible to an occupant of thevehicle in which said assembly is mounted only when said indicia arebacklit by said light source.
 46. The assembly of claim 39 wherein saiddisplay element includes indicia thereon; said assembly also includingan electrical circuit having a plurality of light sources, each of saidlight sources being adapted to illuminate different indicia on saiddisplay element.
 47. The assembly of claim 38 wherein said emittingdisplay is located between said first and second positions of saidmirror stay.
 48. The assembly of claim 38 wherein said informationdisplay further includes a housing extending over a portion of saidmirror stay.
 49. The assembly of claim 48 wherein said housing extendsoutwardly from said mirror stay from a position spaced behind and to therear of the rearview mirror when supported on said mirror stay, at leasta portion of said housing being concealed from view of the vehicledriver by the rearview mirror when supported on said mirror stay. 50.The assembly of claim 48 wherein said housing is formed separately fromsaid mirror stay and is removably mounted thereon.
 51. The assembly ofclaim 37 wherein said mount includes a releasable coupling allowing saidmirror stay and said information display to breakaway and separate froma mounting member on the vehicle when impacted.
 52. The assembly ofclaim 51 including a base adapted for attachment to the vehicle on whichsaid assembly is mounted; said releasable coupling including a springclip on one of said base and said mirror stay and a retainer on theother of said base and mirror stay, said spring clip and retainerengaging one another to hold said assembly to the vehicle when the baseis mounted thereon, but separating from one another when impacted with aforce such as in an accident.
 53. The assembly of claim 51 wherein saidreleasable coupling is adapted to engage a button attached to the insidesurface of the front windshield of the vehicle in which said assembly ismounted.
 54. The assembly of claim 53 wherein said coupling includes aplurality of resilient retaining flanges on said mirror stay toreleasably secure said assembly to the button, said retaining flangesbeing formed from resilient material and located at positions spacedfrom one another on said mirror stay for engaging the windshield mountedbutton to releasably hold the button therebetween and against saidmirror stay yet resiliently flex to release the button when the rearviewmirror is impacted.
 55. The assembly of claim 37 wherein said mirrorsupport is a ball member extending outwardly from said mirror stay; saidsecond position being above the position of the rearview mirror whensupported on said ball member.
 56. A unitary, interior rearview mirrorsupport and information display assembly for vehicles comprising:a rigidmirror stay having a breakaway coupling for releasably mounting saidstay within the interior of a vehicle, said coupling allowing saidmirror stay to separate from a mounting member on the vehicle whenimpacted, and an adjustable mirror support on said stay for adjustablysupporting a rearview mirror in viewing position for viewing by at leastthe driver of the vehicle; said assembly further including a housing onsaid mirror stay, and an information display incorporated in saidhousing on said mirror stay for displaying information visible to anoccupant within the vehicle in which said assembly is mounted; saidassembly having portions concealed from view by the vehicle occupant bythe rearview mirror when supported on said mirror support, said housingprojecting from behind the rearview mirror such that said informationdisplay is positioned at a location adjacent to the viewing position ofthe rearview mirror when the rearview mirror is supported thereon suchthat information display is viewable by the vehicle occupant.
 57. Theassembly of claim 56 wherein said information display includes anemitting display.
 58. The assembly of claim 57 wherein said emittingdisplay includes a display element and a light source for illuminatingsaid display element.
 59. The assembly of claim 58 wherein saidinformation display includes an electrical circuit connected to saidlight source, said electrical circuit including first electrical wiringfor connection to the electrical system of the vehicle in which saidassembly is mounted; said housing extending over a portion of saidmirror stay for concealing said light source, said electrical circuit,and at least a portion of said electrical wiring.
 60. The assembly ofclaim 59 wherein said electrical circuit includes second electricalwiring for connection of electrical apparatus in a rearview mirror tothe electrical system of the vehicle in which said assembly is mountedwhen the rearview mirror is supported on said mirror support.
 61. Theassembly of claim 58 wherein said assembly also includes an electricalcircuit connected to said light source; said electrical circuit alsoincluding a photo sensor adapted to receive ambient light from adjacentsaid assembly, said photo sensor connected through said electricalcircuit to said light source for controlling the brightness of the lightemitted by said light source in relation to the ambient light leveladjacent to said information display.
 62. The assembly of claim 58wherein said display element includes indicia thereon; said light sourcebeing positioned for backlighting said indicia on said display element.63. The assembly of claim 62 wherein said light source is a lightemitting diode.
 64. The assembly of claim 56 wherein said housing isformed separately from said mirror stay and is removably mountedthereon.
 65. The assembly of claim 56 including a base adapted forattachment to the vehicle on which said assembly is mounted; saidreleasable coupling including a spring clip on one of said base and saidmirror stay and a retainer on the other of said base and mirror stay,said spring clip and retainer engaging one another to hold said assemblyto the vehicle when the base is mounted thereon, but separating from oneanother when impacted with a force such as in an accident.
 66. Theassembly of claim 56 wherein said releasable coupling is adapted toengage a button attached to the inside surface of the front windshieldof the vehicle in which said assembly is mounted.
 67. The assembly ofclam 65 wherein said coupling includes a plurality of resilientretaining flanges on said mirror stay to releasably secure said assemblyto the button, said retaining flanges being formed from resilientmaterial and located at positions spaced from one another on said mirrorstay for engaging the windshield mounted button to releasably hold thebutton therebetween and against said mirror stay yet resiliently flex torelease the button when the rearview mirror is impacted.
 68. Theassembly of claim 56 wherein said mirror support is a ball memberextending outwardly from said mirror stay.
 69. The assembly of claim 56wherein said information display is positioned on said mirror stay abovesaid viewing position of the rearview mirror when supported on saidmirror support.